and many more benefits!

GMAT Club Timer Informer

Hi GMATClubber!

Thank you for using the timer!
We noticed you are actually not timing your practice. Click the START button first next time you use the timer.
There are many benefits to timing your practice, including:

Hide Tags

Show Tags

Updated on: 26 Sep 2018, 02:13

3

30

00:00

A

B

C

D

E

Difficulty:

45% (medium)

Question Stats:

66%(01:18) correct 34%(01:34) wrong based on 1686 sessions

HideShow timer Statistics

Meat from chickens contaminated with salmonella bacteria can cause serious food poisoning. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chili peppers their hot flavor, has antibacterial properties. Chickens do not have taste receptors for capsaicin and will readily eat feed laced with capsaicin. When chickens were fed such feed and then exposed to salmonella bacteria, relatively few of them became contaminated with salmonella.

In deciding whether the feed would be useful in raising salmonella-free chicken for retail sale, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?

(A) Whether feeding capsaicin to chickens affects the taste of their meat

Show Tags

03 Nov 2017, 06:31

10

1

The passage itself doesn't have a conclusion, but we are trying to select an answer choice that would help us determine whether the capsaicin-laced feed would be useful in raising salmonella-free chicken for retail sale. So we need to select an answer choice that represents information that would help us make that determination. Before we do that, make sure you read the passage carefully and pay close attention to the author's word choice:

"Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chili peppers their hot flavor, has antibacterial properties. Chickens do not have taste receptors for capsaicin and will readily eat feed laced with capsaicin." - This tells us that capsaicin MIGHT help fight salmonella bacteria (since it has antibacterial properties). Chickens will readily consume capsaicin. So it would not be hard to get chickens to consume a substance that MIGHT help fight salmonella.

"When chickens were fed such feed and then exposed to salmonella bacteria, relatively few of them became contaminated with salmonella." - Great, so when chickens are fed capsaicin and THEN exposed to salmonella (AFTER ingesting the capsaicin), few of them contracted salmonella. Note that this does not necessary mean that capsaicin will fight salmonella that the chicken already has.

Quote:

(A) Whether feeding capsaicin to chickens affects the taste of their meat

We are trying to decide whether feeding capsaicin to chickens would help us raise salmonella-free chicken for retail sale. What if meat from chickens that consume capsaicin tastes awful (or just very different than normal chicken meat)? Sure, the meat would be salmonella-free, but if it tastes weird, consumers might not purchase the chicken. In that case, feeding capsaicin to chickens would not be a useful solution for raising chickens for retail sale. But if the chicken meat tastes the same with or without the capsaicin, then this could be an effective solution. Determining whether feeding capsaicin to chickens affects the taste of their meat would be useful in making the decision, so keep (A).

We are trying to decide whether capsaicin-laced feed would be useful in raising salmonella-free chickens for retail sale. In making that decision, we don't care whether capsaicin can be consumed by humans to reduce the risk of salmonella. Eliminate (B).

Quote:

(C) Whether chicken is more prone to salmonella contamination than other kinds of meat

We are not trying to compare chicken meat to other kinds of meat. We are simply trying to determine whether capsaicin-laced feed would help raise salmonella-free chickens. Determining whether chicken is more prone to salmonella contamination than other kinds of meat would NOT help, so eliminate (C).

Even if appropriate cooking could prevent food poisoning, that wouldn't help us determine whether capsaicin can help us SELL salmonella-free chickens. True, choice (D) might make this question irrelevant, but you have to stick to what's being asked. We need information that would help us decide whether the capsaicin-laced feed would be useful in RAISING salmonella-free chicken for retail sale, and (D) doesn't help.

Quote:

(E) Whether capsaicin can be obtained only from chili peppers

We don't care where the capsaicin comes from. All that matters is whether capsaicin-laced feed is an effective solution for raising salmonella-free chickens for retail sale. Choice (E) is irrelevant and can be eliminated.

Need an expert reply?Hit the request verbal experts' reply button -- and please be specific about your question. Feel free to tag @GMATNinja in your post. Priority is always given to official GMAT questions.

Most Helpful Community Reply

Show Tags

06 Oct 2016, 19:13

8

Top Contributor

1

Its always easier to solve CR questions when you figure out what exactly is the argument saying.

Look at the question stem - "In deciding whether the feed would be useful in raising salmonella-free chicken for retail sale"The argument's conclusion then would be - useful in raising salmonella-free chicken for retail sale.

Then I can write the argument as -chicken feed laced with capsaicin --> useful in raising salmonella free chicken for retail sale.

Another thing to note is that "Evaluate" questions are hybrids; i.e. they are combination of strengthen and weaken questions. Supplying a yes/no answer to the correct answer choice must weaken/strengthen the conclusion OR strengthen/weaken the conclusion. (supplying yes/no must yield opposite results).Let us look at the answer choices - A - correct answer. Supply a "yes" to the answer option. If the taste of chicken sold is changed, then such meat might not sell well. Weakens the argument. Supply a "no". the meat tastes exactly the same - Strengthens the argument (Sales will not be affected).B - look the argument written above again. We are evaluating the impact of chicken feed laced with capsaicin on retail sales. The impact of eating capsaicin on humans is irrelevant then.Let us also try to supply a yes/no the answer option. "No" - eating capsaicin does not reduce risk of salmonella in humans. We can say that this slightly strengthens the argument. The "yes" must now weaken the argument.

"Yes" - eating capsaicin reduces risk of salmonella in humans. Does not have any effect on the argument about the usefulness of feeding capsaicin to chickens.Also, note that since capsaicin has a very hot flavor, this strategy might not work after all.(hence, does not weaken the argument). Another thing - which is easier? consuming capsaicin or feeding it to chickens? If feeding it to chickens is easier than consuming capsaicin, this option does not weaken the argument all.C - Look at the argument written above. It is concerned only with "chicken meat"; other kinds of meat are not relevant.D - Supply a "yes" and "no" to this option."No" - appropriate cooking can sometimes prevent food poisoning. Slightly strengthens."Yes" - appropriate cooking always prevents food poisoning. Does not mean that such chicken meat would not sell well. What if many people do not eat cooked meat? What if feeding capsaicin is the easier and cheaper way to go? What if cooking does not eliminate other harmful effects of salmonella but only eliminates food poisoning? Does not weaken.E - Not relevant to the argument above. The method of obtaining capsaicin is irrelevant. Unless we know that other methods are substantially more expensive than obtaining capsaicin from chilly peppers.(in which case the price of such meat might be unreasonably expensive). Since, this option requires this additional assumption, it is incorrect.
_________________

For more info on GMAT and MBA, follow us on @AskCrackVerbal

General Discussion

Show Tags

03 Mar 2016, 07:55

5

1

Alok322 wrote:

Meat from chickens contaminated with salmonella bacteria can cause serious food poisoning. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chili peppers their hot flavor, has antibacterial properties. Chickens do not have taste receptors for capsaicin and will readily eat feed laced with capsaicin. When chickens were fed such feed and then exposed to salmonella bacteria, relatively few of them became contaminated with salmonella.

In deciding whether the feed would be useful in raising salmonella-free chicken for retail sale, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?(A) Whether feeding capsaicin to chickens affects the taste of their meat(B) Whether eating capsaicin reduces the risk of salmonella poisoning for humans(C) Whether chicken is more prone to salmonella contamination than other kinds of meat(D) Whether appropriate cooking of chicken contaminated with salmonella can always prevent food poisoning(E) Whether capsaicin can be obtained only from chili peppers

hi,the Q has already taken that these are salmonella free chickens, so Choice B doesn't help us at all..

Now given that the chickens are salmonella-free chicken and so they have been eating CAPSAICIN, and also the retail sale is to be increased..

Retail sale would depend on Hygiene, cost and taste..In A, we are given about taste so its OK..

May be a CHOICE talking of increase in PRICE due to use of a particular diet-- couold be also a reason if a part of choices.._________________

Show Tags

06 Jan 2018, 13:43

Meat from chickens contaminated with salmonella bacteria can cause serious food poisoning. Capsaicin, the chemical that gives chili peppers their hot flavor, has antibacterial properties. Chickens do not have taste receptors for capsaicin and will readily eat feed laced with capsaicin. When chickens were fed such feed and then exposed to salmonella bacteria, relatively few of them became contaminated with salmonella.

In deciding whether the feed would be useful in raising salmonella-free chicken for retail sale, it would be most helpful to determine which of the following?

(A) Whether feeding capsaicin to chickens affects the taste of their meat -Correct. If the taste of meat changes then the meat will not sell as it used to(B) Whether eating capsaicin reduces the risk of salmonella poisoning for humans -human poisoning is out of scope(C) Whether chicken is more prone to salmonella contamination than other kinds of meat -other meat are out of scope(D) Whether appropriate cooking of chicken contaminated with salmonella can always prevent food poisoning -this just gives an alternate to stop the spread of salmonella. out of scope(E) Whether capsaicin can be obtained only from chili peppers -out of scope_________________

Show Tags

01 Jun 2018, 22:34

I was down to A vs B straight away. Finally picked A on this one.

Reason:-

Option B says "Whether eating capsaicin reduces the risk of salmonella poisoning for humans". Question Stem says "When chickens were fed such feed and then exposed to salmonella bacteria, relatively few of them became contaminated with salmonella". Hence whatever option B says was already determined and mentioned in question stem.

Option A says "Whether feeding capsaicin to chickens affects the taste of their meat". Determining this would be most helpful from "retail sales" point of view!! Option A is the best answer choice!!
_________________